Alex Trelinski
A criminal gang lived the high-life in luxury villas on the Costa Blanca with money earned from selling off high-end cars stolen across Europe.
The vehicles were stored in the area before being transferred to Morocco.
Two gang members paid €2,500 in monthly rentals for two properties on a Mutxamel urbanisation, one of which was used as an office to run their operation.
A third person shelled out a more modest €2,000 for an Aigues home.
The Guardia Civil said the six people they arrested- of Spanish, Swiss, and Moroccan nationalities- all had a high standard of living, wearing expensive clothes and jewellery in addition to driving expensive cars.
There was no record of any them having legally paid work in Spain.
Besides handling stolen cars, they also trafficked drugs.
All of the gang- three males and three females- were arrested on October 28 in Mutxamel when they were travelling in two stolen cars taken from Italy and Poland.
Officers seized a large amount of high-end clothing, watches valued at €40,000, and 90 grams of hashish.
The cars were going to be re-registered by the gang leader after a ‘cooling-off’ period before being shipped to Morocco.
The vehicles have been returned to their rightful owners but the Guardia are still looking for at least three other stolen cars.
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